1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved nail clipper and to an improved nail trimming retention device.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Conventional nail clippers of the prior art have a single lateral lever or handle that pivots about a fulcrum during operation, connected with a pair of cutting-edge equipped spring arms designed for finger-tip pressure operation. The lateral lever or handle may be equipped with a protrusion or "toe" that presses against the spring arm to drive the cutting edges into contact during operation. The lateral lever and the handle are in alignment during the cutting stroke. This may impede the comfort or convenience of the user. Further, the use of a single pivoting lateral lever may require excessive movement of the handle to perform the cutting operation.
French Patent 2 603 467 discloses an improved nail clipper utilizing two lateral levers. However, the cutting jaws cannot be rotated relative to the lateral levers because an external casing would prevent such rotation. Again, the requirement that the lateral levers and the cutting jaws be in alignment during operation may impede the comfort or convenience of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,666 describes a nail clipper with two lateral handles, and a jaw pincer member formed by a short upper body and a long lower body, which also serves as one of the lateral handles. The jaw pincer member has cutting edges that are parallel, rather than perpendicular, to the longitudinal direction of the handle. Nevertheless, the angle between the cutting edges and the handles cannot be changed during operation, as the open end portion of the jaw pincer member remains fixed perpendicular to the nail clipper handles.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,890,706 discloses a combination manicuring device having two sets of lateral blades. The shorter blades are used as cuticle cutters and the curved longer blades are used as nail cutters. The blades, as well as the file implements and tips, are all unitary with the leaves, and the leaves are secured at one end by spot welds. The secured end also serves as a handle, as is generally the case with prior art nail clippers. Here again, however, independent movement of the jaw pincers, relative to the lateral handles or levers, is not accomplished.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,591 discloses an improved nail clipping implement featuring a nail retaining clamping device to secure a nail trimming in position for the duration of a cutting operation. Thin internal blades made of a resilient material are used for achieving the nail retaining function. This solution is not totally reliable, and it is expensive and complicated, requiring substantial manufacturing precision of the thin blades. Moreover, this nail clipping implement also does not permit the nail clipper handle to be moved independently of the jaw pincers during operation.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved nail clipper which permits both lateral handles of the nail clipper handle to be moved independently of the jaw pincers during operation. Further, an object of this invention is to provide a more practical, less expensive and more reliable method of entrapping nail fragments in conjunction with such a nail clipper.